Self-Compassion and Psychological Well-Being in …

1 Self-Compassion and Psychological Well-Being in Older AdultsKristin J. Homan1 Published online: 9 March 2016 Springer Science+Business Media New York 2016 AbstractSelf- compassion refers to a kind and nurturingattitude toward oneself during situations that threaten one sadequacy, while recognizing that being imperfect is part ofbeing human. Although growing evidence indicates that Self-Compassion is related to a wide range of desirable psycho-logical outcomes, little research has explored self -compassionin older adults. The present study investigated the relation-ships between Self-Compassion and theoretically based indi-cators of Psychological adjustment, as well as the moderatingeffect of Self-Compassion on self -rated health.

2 A sample of 121older adults recruited from a community library and a seniorday center completed self -report measures of self -compas-sion, self -esteem, Psychological Well-Being , anxiety, anddepression. Results indicated that Self-Compassion is posi-tively correlated with age, Self-Compassion is positively anduniquely related to Psychological Well-Being , and self -com-passion moderates the association between self -rated healthand depression. These results suggest that interventionsdesigned to increase Self-Compassion in older adults may be afruitful direction for future applied Psychological Well-Being Older adultsIntroductionAs life expectancies have climbed in the last century, theproportion of people reaching late adulthood has increaseddramatically.

3 Thus, an important direction for research onaging is to explore factors that are associated with thrivingin late life. It is likely that Self-Compassion is such a construct has recently emerged as a correlate of a widerange of desirable Psychological outcomes, and experi-mental work has shown that it is possible to increase Self-Compassion . However, research on Self-Compassion inolder adults is limited. Thus, the purpose of the presentstudy was to explore associations between self -compassionand Well-Being in late are two distinct approaches to conceptualizingwell-being (Ryan and Deci2001). Subjective Well-Being (also referred to ashedonic Well-Being ) refers to an emo-tionally pleasant and satisfying life.

4 It is usually opera-tionalized as high satisfaction with life, frequent positiveemotions, and infrequent negative emotions (Diener1984).In general, older adults tend to score as high as youngerpeople on measures of subjective Well-Being , a phe-nomenon called theparadox of Well-Being . Ample evi-dence supports this finding; for example, a major review ofdata from 60,000 individuals aged 20 99 spanning dozensof countries concluded that life satisfaction is relativelystable across the life span in most societies (Diener and Suh1998). Partially due to the consistency of this finding, somehave argued that subjective Well-Being perhaps represents successful living at any age more than successfulaging (Ryff1989b).

5 In contrast to subjective Well-Being , Psychological Well-Being (also referred to aseudemonic Well-Being ) focuses onfulfillment of human potential (Keyes et ). Themost comprehensive extant model of Psychological Well-Being was developed by Ryff (1989a) based on descriptionsof optimal functioning within humanistic, developmental,and personality traditions. This model operationalizespsychological Well-Being in terms of six unique dimen-sions, each of which articulates different challenges that&Kristin J. Department, Grove City College, 100 CampusDrive, Grove City, PA 16127, USA123J Adult Dev (2016) 23:111 119 DOI encounter as they strive to live a rich and fulfillinglife.

6 The dimensions include positive evaluations of oneselfand one s life ( self -acceptance), a sense of continuedgrowth and development as a person (personal growth), thebelief that one s life has meaning and purpose (purpose inlife), the experience of quality relationships with others(positive relationships with others), the capacity to effec-tively manage one s life (environmental mastery), and asense of self -determination (autonomy). Eudemonic Well-Being typically shows only moderate correlations withmeasures of subjective Well-Being , supporting the idea thatit is a distinct aspect of Psychological functioning (Keyeset ; Ryff1989a).

7 Furthermore, as noted by Ryff andKeyes (1995), an individual who is striving to actualize his/her potential may not feel pleasant emotions in the shortterm, but presumably will achieve a deeper level of ful-fillment and satisfaction in the long s model of Psychological Well-Being was devel-oped with an intentional focus on life span development. Itencompasses the ideas of developmental theorists such asErikson (1959), Neugarten (1973), and Buhler (1935), allof whom described development as a process of continualgrowth across the life span. As such, the model is partic-ularly relevant for assessing Well-Being in late life. It is tobe expected that there would be age-related changes alongthe six dimensions described by Ryff, because psychoso-cial tasks and environmental challenges change as a func-tion of age, and evidence supports this idea.

8 A cross-sectional study of young, middle-aged, and older adultsshowed that personal growth and purpose in life declined inlater life, environmental mastery and autonomy increased,and self -acceptance and positive relationships with othersremained stable across adulthood (Ryff1989a).Because eudemonic Well-Being focuses on the fulfill-ment of human potential, it is important to identify andexplore factors that can facilitate its development. Onepossible factor is Self-Compassion . Self-Compassion refersto a kindhearted way of relating to one s failures, weak-nesses, and disappointments. It is composed of threeinterrelated components: self -kindness, common humanity,and mindfulness (Neff2003a).

9 self -kindness refers totreating oneself with forgiveness, warmth, sensitivity, andacceptance, particularly in the face of failures or personalweakness. Common humanity involves the recognition thatstruggles, sorrows, and imperfections are part of the humanexperience and that we are not alone in our involves noticing and acknowledging painfulthoughts and feelings, but without becoming consumed bythose is distinct from self -esteem, which isoften defined as favorable global evaluations of the self (Baumeister et ). Although the two constructs tendto be related, their correlates are different, and Self-Compassion shows associations with a variety of psycho-logical outcomes even when controlling for self -esteem(Leary et ; Neff and Vonk2009).

10 Conceptually, Self-Compassion differs from self -esteem because it doesnot involve evaluations of self or feeling superior to , it is based on unconditional feelings of kindnessand acceptance toward the self while simultaneouslyholding to a realistic understanding of one s has been linked with greater denial anddefensiveness (Crocker and Park2004; Leary et )while Self-Compassion is associated with honestly con-fronting one s role in failures, more balanced emotionalreactions, and a willingness to learn from mistakes (Breinesand Chen2012; Leary et ).Substantial evidence indicates that Self-Compassion isrelated to many desirable Psychological outcomes.